10 Things That Destroy Company Culture

The definition of culture is: Predominating attitudes and behaviors that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.

1. Gossip

This is hands down the fast way to destroy a good company culture. Once employees start spreading rumors behind other people’s backs, the office quickly becomes a war zone. Battle lines are drawn, and nothing can be externally accomplished because everyone is too busy waging the war within.

2. Public Criticism

No one likes to be ridiculed in front of others, a private correction is far better. A well-known saying that is, unfortunately, very neglected in practice, is to criticize in private and praise in public.

3. Low Pay

Employees have families and goals outside of the office, these things must be supported by their monetary compensation or they will be forced to seek new opportunities. When turnover is high and salaries are low, morale suffers. No company wants to have the reputation of being a stingy place to work.

4. Dictator Style of Leadership

When a company is run this way, the leader gets surrounded by ‘yes men’, who are too afraid to voice an opinion even when they feel they should. While this might feed the managers ego, it does little to ensure that wise choices are made.

5. Poor Communication

When management can’t seem to get on the same page, that confusion trickles down throughout the rest of the organization. This can lead to a lot of frustration and wasted time as tasks must be redone because the original instructions weren’t clear.

6. Lack of Cohesion

Companies must work as a team in order to accomplish goals and achieve their maximum potential. If the relationships between employees are bad, then their ability to function as a single entity will be greatly diminished.

7. No Stimulation

Some jobs can be mindless and boring, regardless of their importance. Having something such as a fifteen-minute coffee break or gathering to celebrate someone’s birthday can break up the monotony of the day. Even just allowing employees to socialize with their colleagues for a few minutes can do wonders in building a good company culture.

8. No Chance for Advancement

People grow stagnate and lazy when there is no chance for advancement. This can cause the company culture to grow stagnate too.

9. Bad Service

If a company takes no pride in the work they do and the products they create, then the employees will follow suit. However, when companies treat their clientele with respect and work hard to obtain their satisfaction, this gives a sense of company pride to the individuals within the company.

10. Leadership with a Bad Attitude

The behavior of the leadership is the single greatest determiner of the atmosphere within any company. This can be a great thing or a terrible thing, it all depends on who the leader is and how much they care about building a strong culture within their organization.